1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to tissue removal devices and, more particularly to tissue removal devices for receiving, retaining and/or removing resected matter from a surgical site.
2. Background of Related Art
Laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures are minimally invasive procedures in which operations are carried out within the body by means of elongated instruments inserted through small entrance openings in the body. The initial opening in the body tissue, to allow passage of the endoscopic or laparoscopic instruments to the interior of the body, may be a natural passageway of the body or may be created by a tissue piercing instrument such as a trocar, a scalpel or a needle.
Endoscopic surgery is popular and commonplace for certain surgical procedures, such as gall bladder removal, ovariectomies and appendectomies. In such procedures, diseased, malignant, necrotic or inflamed tissue and/or organs are excised and removed from the patient. In many endoscopic procedures that involve removal of an organ or tissue such as a gall bladder, appendix, colon, spleen, ovary, lymph node, lung, etc., there is a need for a retrieval bag that can carry and/or contain the organ or portion thereof during its removal from the body cavity in order to reduce the potential for contamination of surrounding tissue and/or organs in the body cavity.
Various apparatus have been devised for introducing, opening, positioning and closing surgical pouches and for removing the pouches and enclosed matter from the surgical site. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,379 to Clayman et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a surgical tissue bag. The bag includes a drawstring. In a disclosed method of use, the bag is placed within the body cavity, the body tissue or organ is placed within the bag, the opening of the bag is pulled through the incision in the skin leaving the distal end of the bag containing the tissue or organ within the body cavity, a morcellator is then inserted into the bag, and then the tissue or organ is debulked and suctioned out of the bag.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,867 to Wilk, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a membrane having filaments attached to its corners. The membrane is placed within a body cavity with the filaments extending through a cannula to the outside of the body. If the organ and/or tissue is sufficiently deformable, the organ and/or tissue to be removed is placed within the membrane and the filaments are pulled to close the membrane around the organ and/or tissue. The membrane is then removed from the surgical site. If, on the other hand, the organ and/or tissue is not sufficiently deformable, e.g. because of the presence of gall stones, forceps or other instruments are used to crush the stones or tissue prior to withdrawal.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,465,731 to Bell et al. and 5,647,372 to Tovey et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a specimen retrieval pouch supported by a loop of flexible material. The pouch has a noose retained proximate its open end and is perforated proximate its attachment to the support loop. After the pouch receives its intended contents at the surgical site, it is cinched closed by pulling upon a suture leading to the noose. Cinching the pouch closed aids the separation of the pouch from the support loop via tearing along the perforation line. Once the pouch has been torn from the expanded loop pouch support, the support may be retracted and the instrument withdrawn.
Although retrieval bags such as those described above are known, there remains a need for improved specimen retrieval pouches to facilitate tissue removal in minimally invasive surgical procedures. There remains a need for specimen retrieval pouches that minimize the wound at the exit site for removing the pouch after the pouch has received tissue.